Celtic_Angel

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10682163/?GT1=7538

Well you've probably been on the moon if you haven't heard this story...

last night I was over joyed to hear that 12 men had survived.....while at the same time feeling heartsick for the one family that would discover that it was their loved one that was the only one to have died...then this.....it's crazy that such a miscommunication should of happened and was allowed to go on...

What do you think about the way the Media handled the whole thing?...shouldn't they have verified the information before splashing huge headlines all over the T.V ? Is it just the price we have to pay for up to the date news?

I was aghast when my husband told me of the error.....not that media coverage would have changed one bit of what the immediate families went through, but I just think these reporters need to get their story straight before they tell it to the rest of us...

TruBrit

Yeah I followed it on Anderson Coopers 360º show, surprised it took 3 hrs to get back to the relatives that the loved ones were in fact deceased....so tragic :

tony126

I would prefer not to comment on the media. Certainly my thoughts and prayers are for those that suffered in this tragedy.

Celtic_Angel

Well why bother to respond then?? Obviously anybody who was watching feels for those poor families...media coverage of the incident is the last thing they are thinking about.


I just think that 24 hour news coverage, regurgitation of stories, over dramatisation of stories and now false reports that gave hope are just plain wrong....I actually did not continuously watch the terrible coverage but I still felt immense relief when I heard 12 men were miraculously alive.....then to be told it was 12 dead.....don't you think the media has some kind of responsibility to give us accurate information? I would much rather hear my news later and it be correct than have channels race to give me coverage , whether it be verified or not.....if that's the case they might just as well start making stories and happy endings up each and every day

tony126

It would seem I put across the wrong message on the media. I am 100% behind your comment about them. I have a great deal of contempt in the manner they operate. Sorry again for not making myself clear.

Jabba1

My only comment on the media is a hearty "good one boys!!!". My prayers are certainly with those family members that went through additional suffering and anguish because of the poor reporting.

Rushman

I was skinny dipping in the Sea of Tranquility

ladygwennie

I must admit i was in shock today when my hubby told me that it turned out only one survived and not one dead. I was pretty agast at the news. I could understand a misunderstanding happening, but for it to go on for 3 hours, was inexcusable. I remember watching the news last nite, when it broke that the 12 were alive and i can distinctly remember one reporter saying there was no confirmation of the news, however very shortly they were definitely reporting it as if it were absolute. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the miners.

snorkmaiden

I was watching last night as the "breaking news" started to appear on the main news channels.

I have to say (and I am not normally a fan of the media) that I'm not sure that they really could have done things much differently.

They would effectively have had to just stop reporting until they had the official press conference. The church bells started ringing, the families were overjoyed and whooping and hugging each other. Yet more family members were running to the church and all of the news crews were there. As I remember it the news was coming from the people in the church as opposed to the media giving the news to the families.

I would say for the most part when I was flicking through the channels the reporters looked quite shocked that the news was so apparently good.

Had the families been properly protected both from the media and from erroneous reports this situation would not have occurred. The company should have had the families shielded from the public gaze, and a representative of the company should have been on hand to give only official and verified news.

I guess the only thing the press could have done would have been to keep saying that it had not been confirmed, and I remember quite clearly that Anderson Cooper for example kept waiting for official word from the press conference.

In the face of all the celebrating families it would surely have been very difficult to keep asking for caution until official word came in.

I do think however that whoever made the decision to allow the families to celebrate for three hours, when they knew that not everyone had survived within 20 minutes, was at best very misguided. Again, to me it smacks more of poor preparedness on the part of the company as opposed to irresponsible reporting by the media.

It's an exceptionally sad situation, when I went to bed last night they were all apparently waiting for the miners to be brought to the church, and yet I woke up this morning to news that all but one had died. It was very shocking to me, and so I can barely comprehend what a blow it must have come as to the families. It's just tragic.

CaliforniaBride

Nope. Do you?????????

Ash UK/US

OK I am probably throwing myself into the lions den but here goes... I am not usually a fan of the media 99% of the time they are over the top, invasive blah blah blah but I actually thought they handled this situation/story very well.

I did watch quite a bit of this on the news and was watching when the news broke that the miners had been found alive. Last night I was flicking between CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 and Fox news both reporters were constantly reminding that it was 'yet to be confirmed' and there was 'no offical word' and they were awaiting the 'news update conference' etc... infact Anderson Cooper questioned many pieces of the information on air and came right out and said it was bizarre that the men were going to be brought to the church before being taken to the hospital.

The issue that I have is with those who let those poor families (and the rest of the world) believe for 3 hours that those men were coming out alive when they knew within 20-30 mins of that rumour starting that is was not true... it was down right cruel to families.

A very sad state of affiars.

Ash

CaliforniaBride

Yada, yada, yada. What about the the damn awful and unsafe conditions those people were having to work under. We have choices, believe whats in the media or don't. But what about the choice to work in a safe environment. Isn't that more important?

Ash UK/US

I completely agree with what you are saying too however I was responding about the media (who have also highlighted the mines safety or lack there of). It is an absolute disgrace that this mine was not closed down before now even though the current owner have only managed it for 6 weeks they should also have closed it down till it was safer to work in.

There was a guy on CNN last night, he was a lawyer who specialised in coal miners related cases and he was saying about a guy in Kentucky who had died after bleeding to death by an accident caused in a mine and various other deaths caused by unsafe working conditions but little is done because it is one death here and another death there sadly it has taken the loss of 12 men to show how dangerous a job this is.

Like i said before a very sad situation.

Ash

snorkmaiden

I was responding directly to the question about the media.

Chorlton

Exactly - someone miscommunicated and its unfortunate, but he/she didnt mean to cause any pain. In fact they probably heard what they wanted to at the time. The problem everyone should have been focusing on is how did it happen and how can it be prevented Everyone makes a big deal out of how shitty China is, but when it happens here we dont even discuss it